Inking mechanism of printing machines



Sept. 19, 1933. SPENCE INKING MECHANISM OF PRINTING MACHINES Filed July14 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l [mreniar JWCL Sept. 19, 1933. SPENCE 1,927,759

INKING MECHANISM OF PRINTING MACHINES Filed July 14 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet2 I lm/emfmr WMM/MIQW Sept. 19, 1933. F. SPENCE 1,927,759

INKING MECHANISM OF PRINTING MACHINES Filed July 14 1952 :s Sheets-Sheet3.

Patented Sept. 19, 1933- :P'ArsNTf F CE INKINIG, MECHANISM F rR 'rI G A;

CHINES Fred Spence, Sale, England, assignor to Linotype 7 and MachineryLimited, London, England Application July 14, 1932, Serial No. 22,419,

and in Great Britain July 17, 1931 v 8 Claims. (01. 101-356) Thisinvention relates to inking mechanism of printing machines, and moreparticularly to mechanism comprising a set of ink distributing rollerswhich rotate continuously in one direction and work up the ink fedthereto from an ink fountain roller by a ductor roller which contactsalternately with an intermittently rotating ink fountain roller and oneof the continuously rotated rollers of the ink distributor set,hereinafter termed the first distributor roller.

A principal object of the invention is to provide means for positivelyrotating the f ductor roller, during its swinging movement from the inkfountain roller towards the first distributor roller so that contactwith the latter is' made onlywhen the two rollers are rotating at thesame surface speed, thus avoiding shock and damage to the rollers anddriving gear which would otherwise occur. l

A further object of the invention is to provide means for controllingthe rotation of the ductor the invention contemplates the provision ofadriven member located between the ink fountain roller and the firstdistributor roller-in such a position as to make'driving contact withthe ductor roller at an intermediate stage of the before-mentionedswinging movement, the speed of such driven member being increasedduring a succeeding stage thereof until the ductor roller is rotated atthe proper speed for contacting with the first distributor roller.

This same driven member is conveniently utilized for controlling therotation of the ductor roller during its return swinging movementtowards the fountain roller. For this purposathe speed of such drivenmember is reduced during such return movement, and while it isin'driving contact with the ductor roller.

The invention is hereinafter described with reference to theaccompanying drawings showing one constructional form thereof applied toa machine in which a fiat bed is reciprocated beneath a printingcylinder. T f

In the said drawings:--

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the pertinent parts of the machine;Figure v2 is an'end elevation as viewed from the right of Figure 1, and

- Figures 3 and 4 are diagr mmat ic side eleva tions showing themechanism at successive stages of its operation. v7 Referring first toEigure's ,1 and 2, the inking mechanism represented comprises an inkfountain roller ,1, aductor roller 2 arranged to Qicontact-alternatelywith-said fountain roller and the first distributor roller 3, which,with the companion distributor rollers-3 3 39, and the ink drum 4,continuously rotates in one directionl The ink worked up by thesecontinuously rotating inking rollers and drum is transferred to the setof forme rollers, herein des'ignatedas a whole} by the reference numeral5, by which the ink isffinally appliedto the printing forme 6 on thereciprocating bed '7. f The means for controlling the. transfer. of inkto the forrne rollers and to the forme constitute no' par s:

the present invention and may be of 'any co'nvenientconstruction. 1 iiThe above named driven member may be 5011- gt;

venientlyiin the form of a roller 8, hereinafter termed the startingroller, which is driven from the 1 reciprocating bed; In' thearrangement shown a spr'ocketwheel 9 on the end of the roller shaftmisdriven byfa chain 10mm a sprocket- Wheel 111 fast on ashort shaft 12 exsltending through the machine frame .13 and car; ryin'g at its inner enda,toothed wheeljM. The

wheel 14in turnmeshes with a' ge'ar wheel l5 drivenby a gear wheel 16which rotates with a sprocket wheel 17 from which later aLch'ain I18,

passesto a second sprocket'wheel 19. The upper offa bell crank lever-2awhoseother arm is connected to a link 25 which is reciprocated by, agrooved cam 26 with whichengages a rollerf27 on the link 25. The axis ofthe shaft 22 about which the ductor roller 2 swings, is'so' "locatedwith-reference to the axis of the starting roller 8 that the roller 2,during its swing towards the ink'fountain roller 1, breaks contacttherewith.

It will be understood that through thereciprocations of the bed 7, thestarting roller g will be H rotated alternately in opposite directions,and

. latter being also stationary. *As the bed moves from the position inwhich it is shown in Figure 1' to that in which it is represented bythefull,

the end of the printing'stroke of the bed; The

' positions of the bed and ductor'roller 2 reprethereof for thereversal. 36

sented in dotted lines in Figure 3 are those occupied at about themiddle ofthe printing stroke.

In full lines in Figure 4, the bed 7 is indicated at the extreme rearend of the printing stroke where it is brought to rest prior toreversal, and the-ductor roller 2 just breaking contact with thestarting roller 8, while the latter is at rest, dur ing its movementtowards the ink fountain roller 1,-which' movement will have beencommenced during the travel of the bed at its uniform printing speed andjust prior to the deceleration The succeeding stage of the cycle ofoperations is shown by the dottedlineposition of the bed and ductorroller inFigure 4, thebedin. that position being in the middle of itsreturn non-printing stroke, and-theductor roller 2:in contact with thefountain roller 1, where it remains until just prior to the completionof the non-printing stroke when it is again moved towardsthe startingroller Band contacts therewith at the end of that stroke as'i'ndicatedin Figure 1. '9 1 The constructional fo'rm' of'the invention abovedescribed; and the particular cycle of operations described inconnection therewith, are' given merelyas convenient examples, and. itwill be recognized that the construction of the mechanism forcontrolling the rotation of the ductor roller and its movementbetweenthe distributor rollers and'the ink fountain roller, as well asthe timing of such'movement in" relation to the printing operation,'maybe varied-without departing from the invention. Moreover, the controlofthe rotation of the ductor'roller according to the invention is notrestricted in its application to the particular construction of inkingmechanism in connection with which it is herein illustrated anddescribed,but may be applied conveniently to "other constructions ofinking mechanism involving the use of a set of ink distributing rollersrotated continuously in one direction'.

* Having described my invention I declare that what I claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent isz- 1. In inking mechanism for printingmachines,

the combination with an ink fountain roller, a

set of distributing rollers continuously rotated in one direction, aductor roller and means adapted to move the ductor roller laterallyalternately into contact with the ink fountain roller and one of thedistributor rollers, of a driven -member rotating on an axis eccentricto the lateral path into contact with the ink fountain roller and one ofthe distributor rollers, of a driven member rotating on an axiseccentric to the lateral path 7 of the ductor roller, and located insuch a position as to make driving contact with the ductor roller atanintermediate stage of its passage from the ink fountain roller to thedistributor roller and means adapted to increase the speed of the drivenmember while the ductor roller is in driving contact therewith andbefore said ductor roller contacts with thedistributor roller.

3. In inking mechanism for printing machines, the combination with anink fountain roller, a set of distributing rollers continuously rotatedin one direction, a ductor roller and means adapted to'move the ductorroller laterally alternately into contact with the ink fount ain rollerand one of the distributor rollers, of a driven member rotating on anaxis eccentric to the lateral pathof the ductor roller, andlocatedinsuch a position as to make driving contact with the ductorroller at an intermediate stage of its passage fromthe ink fountainroller to the distributor roller, meansadapted to increase the speed ofthe driven member while the ductor roller is in driving contacttherewith and before said ductor roller contacts with the distributorroller and-means adapted to decrease the speedof said drivenmember-while'the ductor roller is'in, contacttherewith at; anintermediate stage of the passage of the ductor roller from the.distributor roller .to the ink fountain roller. 4. In a printingmachine, the combination with a flat .bed. and a printing cylinderrelativebeing rotated alternately in reverse directions and at varyingspeeds in unison with the reversal and varying speed of thereciprocating bed.

5. In a printing machine, the combination with a flat bed and aprintingcylinder relatively to which said bed is reciprocated, of. inkingmechanism comprising-an ink fountain roller, a set of distributingrollers continuously rotated in one direction, a ductor roller, meansadapted to move the ductor roller alternately into contact with the inkfountain roller and one'of the distributor rollers, a driven roller.located in 1 such a position as to make driving contactwith the, ductorroller during" intermediate stagesofthe movement of the latter towardsand away from the distributor roller, and ajdriving con= nection betweensaid driven roller and the re ciprocating bed whereby said driven rolleris rotated alternately in reverse directions and at varying speeds inunison with the reversal and varying speed of the reciprocating bed.

6. In a printing machine, the combination with a fiat bed and a printingcylinder relatively to which said bed is reciprocated, of inkingmechanism comprising an ink fountain roller, a set of distributingrollers continuously rotated in one direction, a ductor roller, meansadapted to move the ductor roller, in timed relationship with thereciprocation of the bed, alternately into contact with the ink fountainroller and one of the distributor rollers, and a driven roller locatedin such a position as to make driving contact with the ductor rollerduring intermediate stages of the movement of the latter towards andaway from the distributor roller, said driven roller being rotatedalternately in reverse directions and at varying speed in unison withthe reversal and varying speed of the reciprocating bed.

7. In a printing machine, the combination with a fiat bed and a printingcylinder relatively to which said bed is reciprocated, of inkingmechanism comprising an ink fountain roller, a set of distributingrollers continuously rotated in one direction, a ductor roller movablealternately into contact with the ink fountain roller and one of thedistributor rollers, a driven roller located in such a position as tomake driving contact with the ductor roller at intermediate stages ofthe movements of the latter between the ink fountain roller and thedistributor roller, a driving connection between said driven roller andthe reciprocating bed adapted to drive that roller alternately inreverse directions and atvarying speeds in unison with the reversal andvarying speed of the reciprocating bed, and means adapted to move theductor roller in timed relationship with the reciprocations of the bedso as to bring said ductor roller into and out of contact with thedriven roller during the movement of the ductor roller away from andtowards the ink fountain roller at periods when the driven roller is atrest.

8. In a printing machine, the combination with a flat bed and a printingcylinder. relatively to which said bed is reciprocated, of inkingmechanism comprising an ink fountain roller, a set of distributingrollers continuously rotated in one direction, a ductor roller movablealternately into contact with the ink fountain roller and one of thedistributor rollers, a driven roller located in such a position as tomake'drivbed so as to bring said ductor roller into and out of contactwith the distributor roller while in contact with the driven roller andwhile ro-' tating at the same peripheral speed as the distributorroller.-

FRED SPENCE.

